The News in Brief
Friday, June 17
US Embassy monitors Media Palitra audit
The financial inspection of the Media House Palitra will be monitored by the US Embassy to Georgia, Deputy Head of Mission Kent Logsdon said while visiting the media holding yesterday.
Political and Economic Officer Erik J. Holmgren, Press Attache Michele Harvey, and other representatives of the Embassy also visited the media organization.
The guests met with the leadership of the media holding and got information about the audit.
‘I want to say on behalf of the US Embassy that I am glad to visit Media Palitra. What we saw was very impressive. Here are newspapers, magazines, radio, news agency, internet TV. It is clear Media Palitra plays an important role in the Georgian media space. We will continue monitoring the processes ongoing in the media holding. We will keep in touch with the leadership of Media Palitra and we will try to make our relationship closer’, Kent Logsdon said.
Political and Economic officer Erik J. Holmgren visited Media Palitra last week too. (Interpressnews)
BSANNA Presidency passed from Georgia to Baku
The fifth General Assembly of BSANNA (Black Sea Association of National News Agencies) opened on June 13 in Baku with the support of the Azerbaijani state telegraph agency Azer TA, GHN reports.
The decision for a meeting of the assembly to be held in Baku was taken in March 2010 on the IV General Assembly of BSANNA in Tbilisi. The chairmanship will be passed from the Georgian news agency GHN to Azer TA. President of organization - Gocha Mirtskhulava passed the Presidency to Aslan Aslanov, Director General of Azerbaijani state information agency for the period of 2011-2012.
In the assembly: "Innovational development: transparency and modernization" heads of national information agencies of Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Romania, Greece and Macedonia were taking part. (GHN)
Conference of International Auto Transport Union underway in Tbilisi
Georgia is hosting the 6th conference of the International Auto Transport Union. Transport Ministers of several countries and heads of 22 organizations are participating in the conference in the capital Tbilisi.
The main issue of the agenda is the development of transport systems in the region and regulation of necessary road infrastructure across the Silk Road.
Georgia`s Economy Minister Mrs. Vera Kobalia opened the conference yesterday.
Prior to the event, Kobalia accepted Transport Ministers of Vietnam and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The foreign delegations are expected to stay in Georgia for two days. (Rustavi 2)
Bagaturia initiated creation of investigation commission in Parliament
Jondi Baghaturia, oppositionist MP, for the investigation of media harassment, initiated in Parliament the establishment of a new investigation commission.
Baghaturia said that incidents of attacks against free media, as well journalists, editors and TV companies were common.
"The armed group of special purpose in 2007 invaded the TV company "Imedi" which still has not been investigated up to today. Nobody was punished for cases of violent attacks on journalists as well. A range of cases were not even reviewed in the legislative bodies," - Baghaturia said.
For this purpose, in the Parliament it is necessary to establish the investigative Commission to study this question. (GHN)
Sale of certain medications restricted in Georgia
Sale of certain medical products in Georgia are now the subject of new restrictions. The regulations refer to 10 types of medication that were sold in drugstores without a doctor`s prescription and were used as relaxing remedy for drug addicts.
Two out of the ten mentioned medications are used widely in Georgia and these are Lyrica and Helimonia. Their sale will be allowed only with a doctor`s prescription from now on
If a drug-store breaks the law and sells the medication without prescriptions, it may face a large fine.
The mentioned medications are used for people suffering from epilepsy. Narcologists say use of the medications without prescription may cause problems, as from time to time it damages all bodily organs and causes mental disorders.
Narcologists also say a very short period of time is enough to become addicted to the mentioned drugs. (Rustavi 2)
10 websites may be blocked due to release of pirated movie
The Georgian National Communications Commission intends to block 10 websites who released pirated versions of the 5 Days of August (Renny Harlin`s movie on the Russia-Georgia conflict in August 2008).
The decision will be brought into action if owners of the websites refuse to obey the regulation commission`s decision and do not withdraw the movie files from their sites.
The commission reports, it was informed by the Georgia`s Authors` Society about the release of the Hollywood movie on certain websites. (Rustavi 2)
The financial inspection of the Media House Palitra will be monitored by the US Embassy to Georgia, Deputy Head of Mission Kent Logsdon said while visiting the media holding yesterday.
Political and Economic Officer Erik J. Holmgren, Press Attache Michele Harvey, and other representatives of the Embassy also visited the media organization.
The guests met with the leadership of the media holding and got information about the audit.
‘I want to say on behalf of the US Embassy that I am glad to visit Media Palitra. What we saw was very impressive. Here are newspapers, magazines, radio, news agency, internet TV. It is clear Media Palitra plays an important role in the Georgian media space. We will continue monitoring the processes ongoing in the media holding. We will keep in touch with the leadership of Media Palitra and we will try to make our relationship closer’, Kent Logsdon said.
Political and Economic officer Erik J. Holmgren visited Media Palitra last week too. (Interpressnews)
BSANNA Presidency passed from Georgia to Baku
The fifth General Assembly of BSANNA (Black Sea Association of National News Agencies) opened on June 13 in Baku with the support of the Azerbaijani state telegraph agency Azer TA, GHN reports.
The decision for a meeting of the assembly to be held in Baku was taken in March 2010 on the IV General Assembly of BSANNA in Tbilisi. The chairmanship will be passed from the Georgian news agency GHN to Azer TA. President of organization - Gocha Mirtskhulava passed the Presidency to Aslan Aslanov, Director General of Azerbaijani state information agency for the period of 2011-2012.
In the assembly: "Innovational development: transparency and modernization" heads of national information agencies of Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Romania, Greece and Macedonia were taking part. (GHN)
Conference of International Auto Transport Union underway in Tbilisi
Georgia is hosting the 6th conference of the International Auto Transport Union. Transport Ministers of several countries and heads of 22 organizations are participating in the conference in the capital Tbilisi.
The main issue of the agenda is the development of transport systems in the region and regulation of necessary road infrastructure across the Silk Road.
Georgia`s Economy Minister Mrs. Vera Kobalia opened the conference yesterday.
Prior to the event, Kobalia accepted Transport Ministers of Vietnam and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The foreign delegations are expected to stay in Georgia for two days. (Rustavi 2)
Bagaturia initiated creation of investigation commission in Parliament
Jondi Baghaturia, oppositionist MP, for the investigation of media harassment, initiated in Parliament the establishment of a new investigation commission.
Baghaturia said that incidents of attacks against free media, as well journalists, editors and TV companies were common.
"The armed group of special purpose in 2007 invaded the TV company "Imedi" which still has not been investigated up to today. Nobody was punished for cases of violent attacks on journalists as well. A range of cases were not even reviewed in the legislative bodies," - Baghaturia said.
For this purpose, in the Parliament it is necessary to establish the investigative Commission to study this question. (GHN)
Sale of certain medications restricted in Georgia
Sale of certain medical products in Georgia are now the subject of new restrictions. The regulations refer to 10 types of medication that were sold in drugstores without a doctor`s prescription and were used as relaxing remedy for drug addicts.
Two out of the ten mentioned medications are used widely in Georgia and these are Lyrica and Helimonia. Their sale will be allowed only with a doctor`s prescription from now on
If a drug-store breaks the law and sells the medication without prescriptions, it may face a large fine.
The mentioned medications are used for people suffering from epilepsy. Narcologists say use of the medications without prescription may cause problems, as from time to time it damages all bodily organs and causes mental disorders.
Narcologists also say a very short period of time is enough to become addicted to the mentioned drugs. (Rustavi 2)
10 websites may be blocked due to release of pirated movie
The Georgian National Communications Commission intends to block 10 websites who released pirated versions of the 5 Days of August (Renny Harlin`s movie on the Russia-Georgia conflict in August 2008).
The decision will be brought into action if owners of the websites refuse to obey the regulation commission`s decision and do not withdraw the movie files from their sites.
The commission reports, it was informed by the Georgia`s Authors` Society about the release of the Hollywood movie on certain websites. (Rustavi 2)